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Tag: hospitals
Hospitals currently owe to Social insurance € 24.12 million. Most of this amount are the unsettled liabilities of smaller hospitals, as in October last year the debts of state-owned hospitals were set off by state with the amount of more than € 58,8 million. Social insurance, however, after debt elimination of hospitals registers increasing of claims against the state-owned hospitals again. Most indebted hospitals are in Trenčín region.
Association of hospitals in Slovakia refused the proposal of insurance company Union for modifying the terms and conditions of their contracts from April this year. Both sides discussed the proposal on Wednesday. Main reason was, according to the hospitals, the insufficient covering of the costs for mandatory increased salaries of doctors from the beginning of the year. The Association reportedly submitted its own proposal and insurance company should send its opinion until March 6th.
City hospital in Zlaté Moravce should get a contribution in amount of € 274 000 from the municipality this year. As results from the program budget of the hospital, this amount will be paid in monthly installments of € 22 833. Contribution will serve for additional financing of the salaries in hospital, which are its largest cost item and together with social security contributions represent 66% of all costs.
Small hospitals are not able to get sufficient funds for increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses. Situation is reportedly becoming critical. According to head of Association of Hospitals in Slovakia Marián Petko hospitals are not able to handle the situation. Improving of wages of doctors and nurses will cause the situation when approximately 80% of all revenues from health insurance companies will be used for salaries. Healthcare prociders, however, claim that they also have to buy pharmaceuticals and other goods. If they do not get more money, they will reportedly not be able to provide the treatment of patients.
Hospitals with policyholders mainly from private insurance companies do not know how to get money for higher salaries of doctors. Private insurance companies, unlike the Všeobecná zdravotná poisťovňa, did not increase the resources. The Association of Slovak Hospitals repeatedly asked the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance to release € 50 million from the reserve in the state budget. The Association will ask for opening of this year's state budget for additional financing.
In recent months several hospitals increased the fees, or introduced new ones. Women in childbed will pay the most for the hospital services, in some cases it could be even several hundreds of euros. For example University hospital in Bratislava, according to the new pricelist, increased the fee not only for selection of the obstetrician, but also for the father's presence at the birth. According to the spokeswoman of hospital the revaluation is based on the market research of other providers.
Hospitals associated in the Association of Hospitals in Slovakia claim that salaries of doctors and nurses wlll take up to 80% of total revenues. According to the President of the Association Marián Petko, if the Government does not increase the resources, since May hospitals will not be able to provide the health care and in June they will collapse. He also warned that if the wages of other healthcare professionals increase, hospitals will have to use all the money from health insurance companies only for salaries.
Four hospitals in Žilina self-governmental region ended in last year, despite austerity measures, with € 2.2 million loss. From April 2012 they are endangered by a collapse, because Government did not relief their debts and because of the lack of financial resources for the increasing of salaries of doctors and nurses. Hospitals will only have resources for the gross wages and payments for employees and will get more and more indebted. According to the chairman of Žilina self-governmental region the situation is serious and region will have to proceed to radical measures and rationalization.
L. Pasteur University hospital in Košice will be henceforward led by Tomáš Sieber. Sieber, current interim director, competed in the tender for this position with only one competing candidate – Zdena Baranová, the former director of hospital in Hnúšťa. Sieber set as his goals the adoption of rationalization measures, which should contribute to the financial stabilization of the hospital, but also the improving of cooperation between University hospital and Medical Faculty in Košice.
Labour inspectors are currently monitoring hospitals if they increased the basis wage of doctors from the beginning of this year. The change of relevant law after last year’s strikes committed the providers of in-patient care to the salary adjustment. The labour inspectors are verifying approximately 80 hospitals during one-day nationwide inspection. Inspectors will also check the procedure of hospitals in the case of withdrawal of notices of doctors.
